Welcome . . . to another Friday in the Sanctuary.
May you find a few moments of peace and respite here today. Life is tough. We all need to protect our peace.
C’mon in.
Take a break with me.
First, let me explain where I am . . . right now.
I know. I know. This space . . . this SANCTUARY . . . is supposed to be – is designed to be – a quiet little place in the blogosphere where you can land each Friday for some peace and respite. And it has been just that, every Friday since April 4. But just for today I’m going to step outside the boundaries I’ve established here . . . to encourage you; actually to implore you . . . to take part in a No Kings demonstration tomorrow October 18.
Because it’s time, my friends.
It’s time.
I know not all of you feel safe participating, but if you are able, I hope you’ll try to join in one of these peaceful demonstrations. There are hundreds upon hundreds of events scheduled all over the country – and across the globe. Click here to find your nearest event.
From everything I’ve heard, Saturday’s events will be bigger and more widely attended than the last No King’s Day events (back in June). And, yeah. They’re called protests, but they’re really more like peaceful demonstrations. They bring people on the fringes into the pro-democracy movement. And they show the government that we’re out here! We’re paying attention! And we’re not going to sit quiety and do nothing!
If you’re feeling overwhelmed and sad or distressed about what is happening here in America, joining in one of these events will help you feel more hopeful and encouraged. It will remind you that you’re not alone! (Because . . . you’re not.) Particpating in one of these demonstrations WILL energize you.
If you can make a sign . . . GREAT. But you don’t really need one. (You just need to show up!) Tom and I make our signs from recycled cardboard boxes and then just write/draw on them with Sharpie markers and Posca pens. Although some signs are clever and funny, we prefer simple slogans that are easy to read and tend not to be too inflammatory. We usually use duct tape to secure old pieces of wood trim or dowels onto the back so we can wave the signs around, but we see plenty of people just carrying pieces of cardboard in their hands and that works well, too. If you don’t know what to say on your sign, you can visit this page for ideas, inspiration, or even to print out ready-made signs that you can affix to cardboard.
I hope you’ll join me out on the streets or parks or public spaces on Saturday! (And if you’re in Kalamazoo, you’ll find me near the Lowe’s on Drake. Come say hi!)
And . . . since I’m talking about being ENERGIZED . . . I’ve got two fun video clips for you.
The first one is jump-roping . . . Double Dutch style! I used to do Double Dutch with my friends at recess when I was in grade school. I was pretty good at it. But – WHOA! – nothing like THIS!
And then . . . how about one of my very favorite dance clips? It makes me smile every time I watch it. (And I have watched it many times . . . )
And that’ll do it for this week, my friends.
I hope you’ve found some . . . Sanctuary. . . here today.
I know this week’s post was a little different than usual. But . . . sometimes we all need to heed the call to action!Enjoy your weekend.
Get out there and join a No Kings event if you can.
Energize!ONWARD.
Protect your peace!
I had planned to do other things this weekend, but now that I’m quite concerned about an undeclared ground war in Venezuela, I have to attend a protest. There are two “private” events near me; I’m not sure how a protest can be private but I guess I’ll find out.
I was listening to the radio earlier and heard Mike Johnson refer to them as “anti-America protests,” and that made me really angry. Sounds like someone needs to review their knowledge of American history if they don’t know it all started with a protest!
Hey Y’all. I don’t normally comment (since I have direct access to Kym), but seeing a very sparse response to this particular post I thought I’d weigh in. Yes, this subject may be a bit uncomfortable in that is it does rock the boat a bit. What I suggest is this, maybe watch the movie “V for Vendetta” (2005), especially if you haven’t seen it before. It’s one of my personal favorites. But, more to the point, see if you see any parallels between the plot and the political situation here in America right now. If not the whole movie, maybe look at this quote (or google a youtube video thereof): ‘People shouldn’t be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people.’ In closing, let me quote one of my favorite bloggers: “stay safe, stay peaceful, and stay ornery.” Cheers
I have my fingers crossed for the turn out to be stunning. I read on Reddit that one of the events in Pittsburgh had to be moved from Point State Park (at the confluence of the rivers) had to be moved because TOO MANY PEOPLE WERE PLANNING ON SHOWING UP! Oh yeah! It feels almost elemental to be at a protest this weekend! (Oh and a FYI for all of us attending. Don’t bring your mobile phone!! And if you have to bring it… make sure you turn it off while at your event! Be safe everyone!!)
Dale and I had a great time participating on Saturday at an event near the campground. My sign read “We the People LOVE America and on the flip side it side “Power to the Peaceful”. We use poster board and my old campaign signs, it’s a great way to recycle them! This morning I read that 8.1 million people participated this weekend and I’m so proud of everyone who was able to attend an event. Thanks for sharing your thoughts in the hopes of making everyone more comfortable with attending!